New York City police are looking for whoever draped a gigantic banner portraying Russian President Vladimir Putin over the side of the Manhattan Bridge.

The 6-by-9-meter banner appeared on the bridge that spans the East River between lower Manhattan and the borough of Brooklyn at midday, with Putin dressed in a suit in front of the Russian and Syrian flags, and the word "Peacemaker" displayed prominently in capital letters.

The New York City Police Department received a call about the banner and removed it around 3 p.m. local time, a spokesman said.

The spokesman said the police don't have any suspects and are conducting an investigation, including looking at surveillance video on the bridge and in nearby areas to identify a suspect.

In a similar incident in 2014, a large Palestinian flag was suspended from the Manhattan Bridge by solidarity groups during a protest march across the nearby Brooklyn Bridge.